Wednesday night at the Firebird was similar to the recent wave of awesome weather days this winter in St. Louis. I went into the Pomegranates-headlined show knowing their set was sure to leave me smiling and bouncing a bit the next day.

The Pageant may not be the ideal space for musical duos and trios with stripped down acoustic arrangements, but last night's Civil Wars show proved that even a bigger venue can be transformed into a setting for an intimate musical experience.

St Louis welcomed The Civil Wars to a sold out room at the Pageant on Sunday night.

As a rule, I'm a comparative thinker. As a writer, I construct parallels and employ juxtaposition all the time. As a critic, I see comparison as a means towards a more accurate definition.

The temps may have been well below freezing outside, but things were hot inside the Pageant last night as Jacksonville, Fla. native JJ Grey and his band Mofro infused the packed venue with their special brand of swampy, southern blues rock.

Last night, halfway through his set, Todd Snider asked the audience to request songs. Loud calls rained down directed at the stage.

Watching Jason & the Scorchers howl, wail and swagger through a nearly two-hour set at Off Broadway was almost as fun as absorbing the crowd's frenetic reaction.

Austin band Dry Season opened the night with a set of a neo-psychedelic soundscapes. The instrumentation was nicely supported by the ethereally reverbed-out and delayed vocals of Madelyn Carr.

Back in November when the Lawrence Arms decided to play St. Louis for the first time in four years, they made sure to pick the coldest and snowiest day of the year.

St. Louis has long had an appreciation for the music of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. Last night the local music community came up with a nice save.